Shannon Matthews: Social services had regular contact with Karen Matthews' family

Social services had regular contact with the family of Karen Matthews, who
kidnapped her own daughter Shannon Matthews, over a number of years, it has
been disclosed.

Image 1 of 2

Shannon Matthews was missing for three and a half weeksPhoto: PA

Image 1 of 2

Karen Matthews claimed she knew nothing of a plot to kidnap her daughterPhoto: PA

11:57AM GMT 05 Dec 2008

The exact nature of the involvement remains unclear, but according to a BBC Panorama documentary which was given exclusive access to the police investigation, Shannon Matthews and another of her siblings were on the child protection register at one point.

The programme claimed the children were taken off the register despite persistent concerns about violence, poor conditions, lack of control and poor school attendance in the household.

It said Kirklees Social Services commissioned a psychological report on Matthews in December 2003 which was to "pay particular attention to her parenting style and her understanding of her requirements".

It said the conclusion was that: "Her ability to protect her children is compromised by her inability to successfully place the children's needs above her own. I believe that Karen will require constant monitoring and support throughout the lives of her children."

According to the documentary, Matthews's children were removed from the child protection register by the time the report was completed.

The programme claimed there were ongoing concerns but social services decided to reduce its involvement because the family was "settling down".

The programme said that three months later there was a "serious allegation of neglect" but social workers decided no further action was necessary.

The documentary alleged that despite ongoing concerns about violence in the home and the effect this might have on the children "they were never considered at risk of significant harm" and not placed back on the child protection register.

According to other reports today, social workers first became involved with the family six years ago but decided no further work was required in late 2005.

The Times claimed a head teacher had gone "absolutely ballistic" when authorities claimed to have had little information from her school about Shannon when, in fact, she said social workers had been warned by teachers on a number of occasions.

Claire Wilson - a neighbour of Matthews a number of years ago when she lived at Burnsall Road, Batley - told the BBC documentary how she tried to alert social services about the conditions the children were living in.

Miss Wilson described terrible living conditions at the run-down semi as well as alcohol and drug taking.

She said she alerted social services on a number of occasions.

Miss Wilson said of Matthews: "The children to her seemed more of a bargaining chip and property rather than actual individuals that needed loving, needed looking after, needed food."

Miss Wilson went on: "I rang social services because it just got to the stage where I was so concerned about the children.

"But we just kept reporting it and nothing seemed to get done.

"We were saying that something's going to happen to those children. How can you leave them in those conditions."

Later, Miss Wilson recalled another time she went to the authorities.

She said: "I contacted social services saying something needed doing. We're getting really concerned about the children. There are a lot of guys coming and going and what you'd refer to as undesirables in and out of the house.

"The children are living in that house. Your alarm bells start going off."

Even at the point Shannon vanished, social services were involved in the family in some capacity.

One of Matthews's other children, who had a history of running away, had recently been provided with a computer by social services.

One theory on the estate at the time was that Shannon had run away because she was not happy her sibling had a new computer and she did not.